The Cassiopeia Conspiracy
by Dark One
Summary: The Doctor lands on a freighter for repairs only to discover some nasty intruders
1. The Crew

The Cassiopeia Conspiracy  
  
Part One: The Crew  
  
Dave sat alone in the conference room. He stared intently at the metal walls surrounding him wondering how he had gotten himself stuck on a freighter to Cassiopeia. "The excitement," he huffed to himself sarcastically thumping his elbows down onto the table in front of him and rested his head in his hands. He was very sure that had he gone straight off to a university he could have been into politics by now. Instead he had decided that he wanted to see the universe before running off to the halls of higher education. Unfortunately, he was not at all a victim of monetary wealth and thusly had to settle on his current position rather than anything like a luxury liner like he had hoped.  
  
Just then the door on the other side of the room swung open revealing the one consolation Dave could see for being stuck in such an idiotic job, Miss Maria Stanforth. As she walked into the room she took on the air of a teenage empress and her appearance wasn't far cry from the image either. Her long, golden brown hair flowed loosely from her head and draped its self lightly over her shoulders ending in a curl on the top of her navy blue uniform. It also had a tendency at times to fall over her eyes causing the young lady to let out a loud gasp and sweep it away revealing the most dazzling and, at the same time, the most fearful set of blue eyes in the universe. Eyes that danced with the wonderment of life itself and blazed with the fires of determination.  
  
"What are you doing," she demanded as soon as she saw her co - worker loafing at the desk.  
  
"As little as possible," Dave replied his head still stuck on his hands.  
  
"You should be cleaning out the waste receptacles," she commanded as she glided across the room.  
  
The boy leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. "I'll do it when we reach Cassiopeia," he assured her from behind a wry smile.  
  
The young lady menacingly at glared at her co-worker. Never before had she come across anyone else like him. He was irresponsible, lazy, and anything but punctual. Even so, there was something about him that she liked. She just couldn't put her finger on it. All the same there was a job to do and she did not want to have to do it all herself. "You are, without a doubt, the laziest, sloppiest, worker I have ever seen," she yelled in distain.  
  
"I try," he replied sarcastically.  
  
Maria's mouth dropped to the floor. "NO YOU DON'T," she screeched, "You don't even wear your uniform." Dave's smile suddenly expanded to twice the size of a moment before. "If I wore my uniform," he joked, "it would get dirty."  
  
"Well since you are in here," answered the other, "you could at least clean the room."  
  
The young man gazed down at the table next to him. He could still see the tiny streaks that were left from the last time he had scrubbed it. "I suppose I could," he answered unexcitedly.  
  
"Then do it," ordered the young lady. With that the empress like janitor turned on her heel and walked majestically through the door. Unfortunately, this exit was far less graceful than she had originally hoped for as she turned back into the hall she found herself walking right into ship's First Officer, Commander Barrows.  
  
Nervously, she looked upward at the officer hoping that it wouldn't be him. At the same time Dave hurriedly produced a rag from his pocket and began to vigorously wipe down the table. Up till now neither of them had been anywhere near any one on the ship with such power.  
  
He was a tall man by any standards with short black hair that was combed neatly to one side. For some reason this alone made him look menacing to a great many people causing them to avoid him completely. When the need did arise that they needed to talk to him it was always sort and to the point so that they could leave as quickly as possible. This created the added problem of stereotyping him as one those people who is cold and never speaks unless something important has to be said.  
  
Then, if that did not make elusive enough, a large black mustache hung underneath his nose giving him an air about him that made one think of him as if he were the evil land lord in a silent film. And just make sure that everyone noticed this he would frequently twist it around his finger from time to time.  
  
"Pardon me," he said in a very authoritative voice, "but I'm afraid that we are going to need this room. You may return later and complete your duties."  
  
"Ye - yes sir," Maria replied still taking a step backward," We - we'll just go check on the cargo."  
  
Barrows raised an eyebrow, "Neither of you are to go near the cargo hold," he ordered.  
  
"But sir," Dave answered relishing a chance to challenge authority, "we were told that checking the cargo was part of our job."  
  
"Don't worry about it," remarked the officer coldly, "I'll take care of that duty for the remainder of this voyage."  
  
Maria, who was still stunned, gazed up at the commander with curiosity. This was a very unusual command. Still, she had known stranger things to have happened. More over, the tone of voice coming from the man suggested a subject that was of more importance than her station allowed her to know. "Come on Dave," she finally ordered, "let's go clean out those waste receptacles."  
  
The boy nodded his head sheepishly keeping his eyes focused on the ground. "Yes ma'am," he answered.  
  
The two youngsters breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped into the corridor. Maria's face had turned ghostly white and Dave's red. Both were too emotional for any significant conversation. The only sound they made as they walked down the hall toward the waste receptacles was the clanging of their boots against the steel floor. "You were going to ask him weren't you," Maria finally asked breaking the silence.  
  
"Ask who, what," he responded pretending he didn't know.  
  
"What do you mean ask who what," she repeated in annoyance, "You were going to ask the commander why we couldn't check the cargo."  
  
"Yes, I was," admitted the boy through a smattering of snickers.  
  
Maria rolled her eyes along with a heavy sigh of irritation, "I'm glad I got you out there when I did."  
  
"Well, I guess I had better get back to our quarters I -," Dave smiled hoping to get out of any laborious tasks that his superior might have in mind. It wasn't that he disliked the work so much as the fact that there was a great deal of other things that he would rather have been doing instead. More over, anytime the choice of work was left up to her she inevitably picked the most disgusting and backbreaking task that she could think of.  
  
"You're coming with me," interrupted the girl grabbing her companion's arm tightly as if she had been able to read his mind, "We are going to clean out the waste receptacles."  
  
In the next moment she was dragging him down the corridor like a big dog on a short lease causing him to trip over himself to keep up. If anyone had been watching the spectacle the boy would have most certainly been embarrassed beyond belief and most likely would have caused a very uncouth scene. As fortune would have it, however, there was no one else present giving the young man permission to enjoy the whole experience.  
  
Back in the conference room First Officer Barrows sat arrogantly at the table punching numbers into a pad in front of him in hopes of correcting several embarrassing mistakes that had come up on the last report that he had given to the captain. Directly across from him two considerably younger men engaged themselves in a rather loud conversation completely oblivious to the fact that they were in the presence of a ranking officer, an action that was not repeated when the doors to the conference room opened abruptly revealing the ship's captain, Ronald Henderson. Immediately, the two lesser officers sprang to their feet and began falling all over themselves in a pitiful attempt to show more respect than the other with the hope that they would be next in line for a promotion.  
  
"Good morning Captain Henderson," one of them said through an enormous smile and a salute as the man passed in front of him.  
  
"Good morning Sir," repeated the other in a more militaristic tone.  
  
The captain ignored them both. After several years of service as both a crewmember and as a captain he had become accustomed to such false reverences and was able to recognize them light years away. Consequently, he walked straight past them without even an acknowledgment and took his place at the table next to his first officer while at the same time the two brown nosers gathered themselves together and took their places as well.  
  
To make matters worse on the two young men their superior was in a more than fowl mood. There was a great deal of things that he had planned to get done within the course of the day and this meeting was preventing him from doing any of them. Given the chance he would have cancelled the whole thing except that the new labor union that had formed required that the ranking officers hold regular meetings with the crew to "keep an open line of communication between the two groups" which, to the officers meant that they had to run the ship as a democracy.  
  
"Good morning every one," announced the captain in a drab and unexcited voice, "This is our first Co - Union Command meeting. I am Captain Ronald Henderson. I see that you have already met my first officer, Commander Barrows."  
  
"Not formerly," corrected the first mate still looking at the pad of numbers in front of him.  
  
"I see," Henderson continued disappointed that they were wasting precious seconds, "Commander, this is Lieutenant Adams and Lieutenant Conyers. They will be representing the crew."  
  
All parties exchanged short greetings as well as a little more kissing up from Conyers and Adams. "Now then," Captain Henderson began again, "let's get down to business shall we?"  
  
Conyers quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it. "Before we start, sir, I need to make you aware of this inconsistency."  
  
Captain Henderson raised an eyebrow, "What sort of inconsistency, Conyers?"  
  
The lieutenant slid the paper across the table to his superior. "Sir, this is a manifest of the cargo hold."  
  
The captain nodded. "Last time we checked the hold there were a number of crates which did not appear on this list and nobody can seem to explain where they came from, where they are going, what is in them, or how they got on board."  
  
Barrows leaned his elbow onto the table and stroked his beard. "Who checked the hold last?"  
  
"It was Stanforth I think," Adams spoke up still trying to impress the captain, "and that new kid."  
  
"Well, that explains it," Barrows announced nonchalantly, "The new guy member probably missed a few."  
  
Captain Henderson shook his head. "No, no. The cargo would still be on the manifest," he observed tapping the paper on the table in front of him.  
  
The commander looked over his superior's shoulder at the manifest. "I'll check it out personally after the meeting," he announced.  
  
"You do that Barrows," the officer concurred, "In fact, I think I will join you."  
  
"Captain, I'm sure that will not be necessary," Barrows assured leaning back in his chair.  
  
The skipper turned to face his second in command, "Perhaps not," he retorted, "but I think that this is important enough for me to investigate as well."  
  
Nearly an hour later after a great deal of arguing and a threat of incarceration, the two men entered the cargo bay and began to search through the piles of crates and boxes. They were strewn all over the place as if they had simply been tossed into the room at random and stacked carelessly on top of each other allowing hope to be the only factor that made them continue to stand on top of each other.  
  
More over, there was no set pattern to the areas in which they were stacked. To find any one certain container it was necessary to navigate around as if one were in a maze.  
  
After nearly an hour of checking the numbers on each box each against the manifest number the captain at last located the mysterious piece of cargo that they had been searching for, a large crate. It was nearly as tall as the captain himself standing upright and lengthwise, it extended at least four feet before it disappeared behind two piles of other smaller boxes.  
  
Even more mysterious than its presence, however, was the low hum that emanated from within. It was barely even audible to any human ear and Captain Henderson wouldn't even have heard it himself had he not dropped his pen. As he bent down to retrieve the elusive object his ear scrapped the side of the container. Immediately he picked up a faint noise from with in.  
  
"That's strange," he said to himself standing back up. Gently, he put his hand on the wood. Sure enough there was small, faint, vibration.  
  
"Barrows," called the captain, "what do you make of this?"  
  
"Have you found something," the commander answered navigating the maze of boxes and crates.  
  
"I have indeed," replied the officer as his second in command swooped around the corner. "There seems to be some sort of strange humming coming from this crate."  
  
"I heard nothing," replied the Commander after a moment with his ear on the crate.  
  
"Are you feeling alright Barrows," The captain asked looking puzzled, "it's as plain as day."  
  
"I am sure that I am perfectly alright, sir," answered the other slightly insulted.  
  
"I suppose I could be hearing things," Henderson admitted picking up a crow bar, "I'm not as young as I once was you know. Just the same I want to see what is in here."  
  
Suddenly, a scowl formed over Commander Barrows' face. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that," he said as he whipped the crowbar out of his superior's hands.  
  
"Have you gone mad Barrows," exclaimed the officer.  
  
"I'm sorry sir," responded the first mate, "I don't know what came over me." Respectfully he handed the crowbar back to the Captain who immediately set to work trying to pry open the container.  
  
At that very moment Maria and Dave were walking exhaustedly back to their quarters after finishing with the waste receptacles. As was usual after cleaning out the waste receptacles there wasn't a clean spot on either of them. Their hair alone was now a rich mixture of sweat, grim, dust, and garbage all rolled into one small package.  
  
"I'm never going to do that again," Dave wheezed through the dust particles in his thought.  
  
Maria smiled faintly. "Yes you will," she responded, "next week." It was the usual rhetoric. Ever since the first time the task had been assigned Dave complained about it and always swore that he would never again enter a place so dirty and ever week he did.  
  
"I think I'll be dead by next week." Replied the other as he pulled a piece of trash out of his hair and threw it to the floor . "You shouldn't throw trash on the deck," Maria barked as if she were an officer, "That's what receptacles are for."  
  
The boy stopped in his tracks. His companion's sudden yet not unusual authoritarian tone sent a wave of anger through him. He detested it when she spoke to him in such a way. It was almost as if she thought herself better than him and, on occasion, felt it necessary to prove it. "If I hear those words once more time today," he groused trying to relieve the tension, "I declare I will throw myself out of the airlock."  
  
"You don't rank high enough to even get near the airlock," chuckled the young lady.  
  
Dave smiled as if a widely at the young lady before him. Suddenly being stuck on a freighter didn't seem so bad. Then, amidst a small chuckle he began to trot down the corridor.  
  
"Where are you going," Maria called after him this time in a slightly less commanding voice.  
  
"I'm going to the cargo hold," answered the other still chuckling to himself.  
  
"We aren't allowed in the cargo hold anymore," Maria yelled as she started in after him.  
  
"That's the idea," Dave called back, "If I get thrown into the brig I won't have to swab anything for quite a while."  
  
Before they reached the last corridor, however, Maria pushed herself into a full sprint. When she finally caught up with him she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him backward as hard as she could bringing him to a sudden and nearly painful stop. The boy's eyes danced as his looked into his companions. "You must not hate me too badly," he said, "if you don't want me to get into trouble."  
  
"It's not you," Maria chortled back, "I just don't want to clean the whole ship by myself."  
  
Dave chuckled softly to himself and open his mouth to make yet another witty response but before he could a horrible cry echoed loudly throughout the ship. Immediately any sign of pleasantness dropped from the youngster's faces as they both shot off down the corridor toward the sound. They were nearly stride for stride as they rounded the last corner and approached a large set of double doors of the cargo bay. Presently they opened and Commander Barrows stumbled out.  
  
As soon as they saw him both Dave and Maria stopped suddenly in their tracks with a flurry of questions.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Is there anything we can do?"  
  
Barrows shook his head and stumbled a few feet forward. Losing his balance he fell against the wall and slid down to the floor where he attempted to catch his breath. "The - captain," he panted, "is dead."  
  
  
  
To be continued . . . 


	2. The Doctor

The Cassiopeia Conspiracy  
  
Part Two: The Doctor  
  
The Doctor strolled around the console room of the TARDIS in a daze. He was exhausted. In fact, he was very exhausted. He had just barely escaped only moments before from a collapsing underground cavern filled with Cybermen. Now, he was at last getting a chance to catch his breath and breath easy. That is, until a small red light on the console began to blink.  
  
Swiftly, the time lord made his way toward the warning beacon. Once there he only needed to see the gauge beside it to know what the problem was. The needle, which normal read between eight and ten, had fallen almost all the way to zero. It was painfully apparent now that his swift departure from the Cyberman had overtaxed the engines in the TARDIS. "Oh dear," he lamented to himself as he began to scan for a good place to land and conduct repairs.  
  
It did not take him long to pick up a small ship passing by a short distance away. "Hello, what's this," He reaching over the console to begin the landing sequence.  
  
Suddenly the entire ship began to rock violently back and forth as the engines attempted to reenter normal time space. In a matter of moments they had succeeded. This, however, resulted only creating a worse type of shaking than before. In fact, had the Doctor not already been clinging to the side of the consol he would have most likely found himself rolling freely from side of the ship to the other.  
  
This continued on for several seconds after TARDIS had completely materialized until the captain of the vessel at last turned off nearly all of the systems. "There," he said as he patted the controls gently with one hand, "That wasn't so bad was it?"  
  
With no answer in sight from the spacecraft the Doctor moved himself over to a small lever on the opposite side of the panel, took hold of it, and pulled. Behind him a small piece of the wall rolled upward revealing a view screen allowing him to see into outside world.  
  
The room in which he had landed was almost completely dark. The only source of light emanated from several dim lamps positioned strategically about the ceiling revealing several boxes and crates that were scattered across the floor. They were arranged, it appeared, in no particular fashion except that they all seemed to surround the TARDIS almost completely so that nothing else was visible.  
  
The Doctor's curiosity was peaked. He flipped another switch this time opening the door to the TARDIS and stuck his head out to better observe his surroundings. Seeing no one, the timelord jumped back into his ship where grabbed a long black coat, a wide brimmed felt hat, and a very loud scarf.  
  
None of these items served as an extraordinarily spectacular example of fashion and when placed upon the Doctor's person look even less so. In particular, his coat was more than old and was beginning to unravel in several places leaving long threads hanging loosely from several places. More over, the pockets of the garment were torn along their seams so that there was only a slim chance that they would not fall off. It did, at least, have the virtue of covering the slightly tattered stark white shirt that the time lord wore underneath.  
  
This was also obscured by his scarf, which was flung around the Doctor's neck at any given temperature. Not only did it cover the old shirt by its mere presence but also, anyone looking at it was sure to be distracted by a wave of color. Reds, yellows, greens, and every other imaginable color was woven into it making it look as though the time lord had simply torn off the very end of an afghan and draped it round himself. It hung all the way to the floor, trailing behind him as if it were a poor puppy in search of a home. Often it would spoil an otherwise ingenious disguise.  
  
The hat, although it was nearly white with lint, was in considerably better condition. It had no rips in it what so ever making it surprisingly sturdy considering the number of adventures it had survived. It also seemed to show no ill effects of the dust and dirt that had attempted to settle on of it during its last few moments with the Cybermen.  
  
Then, to make things look even stranger, when it was positioned on top its owner's head it gave the most mysterious of impressions. The wide brim stretched out over the Doctor's face, which at times, gave off a sense of class. At the same time, however, the condition of the other garments made one wonder what class the man belonged to.  
  
Once all of these things were gathered up and put on the Doctor stepped eagerly out of the TARDIS and began to explore his new surroundings. For some time he made his way through the room, poking about here and there as if he were looking for something. The only trouble was that he didn't know exactly what.  
  
Finding nothing of interest, however, he started to make his way back to the TARDIS to consider his next course of action when he passed a large crate that he had somehow overlooked before.   
  
Normally, he would not even have bothered to stop and examine it except that there was a low vibrating sound coming from within. Filled with curiously, the time traveler gently slid his hand down the side of the crate. His heart pounded from the vibration as if he knew that it was a bad omen. His curiosity was peaked, what sort of thing could be in there?  
  
He tried to theorize an answer but could come up with nothing. The only way to find out, he reasoned, was to open it. That was another problem, though, for he did not see any sign of a device with which to open the box. He searched skillfully around in all the nooks and crannies for any semblance of such an object found nothing that would help him. What he did find, however, was small smattering of dried blood near the bottom. Carefully, the Doctor reached down and flaked some on his finger to examine.   
  
Just then the cargo bay doors swung aside revealing two silhouettes in the outer hall. Quickly, The Doctor ducked behind a large box and peered over the top to observe the two mysterious persons. As they stepped into the room they revealed themselves as a young man and a young lady.  
  
"We shouldn't be here," whispered the girl as the doors shut behind her.  
  
"Shhh!" The boy looked around cautiously for signs of life. "I know," he replied when he was satisfied that no one was about, "Isn't it great?"  
  
"Great?" the girl repeated exasperatedly, "you're going to get us both thrown into the brig."  
  
"Look, Maria," the boy said as he slowly made his way toward the Doctor's position, "I have to know what happened the captain and why we were banned from being in here."  
  
The young lady shook her head. Up until now she had thought that her co- worker's ignorance had simply been an act but after his last statement she wasn't so sure. "You have to know what happened to Captain Henderson?" she repeated almost sarcastically," he died because a metal beam fell on his head."  
  
"That's what Commander Barrows said," Explained the boy, pointed to the ceiling, " but does it look like a metal beam fell on him?"  
  
The girl stared intently upward but the tall gray ceiling above her was almost too dark to see. The only illumination present emanated from the set of lights that hung half way down from the top of the room. Maria squinted, attempting to make out what it was that her companion was pointing to. Through the darkness she could barley make out a system of metal beams that stretched across the room. They all appeared normal.   
  
"Besides," Dave continued to explain, "we weren't too far from here when it happened. Wouldn't we have heard it if a beam fell?"  
  
Maria gasped in disbelief. She could not believe what she was hearing. "Are you saying that the commander is lying?" she asked turning her gaze back to her co-worker.  
  
"I'm not saying anything," continued the other, "except that something very strange seems to be going on."  
  
Maria could not really disagree with the boy. After all, there were no beams missing that she could see and she was that they would have heard one fall. Even so, she was not ready to accept that her commanding officer was covering something up. It was a curious situation. "Alright," She sighed, "but let's be careful."  
  
Just then the Doctor, stood up from his hiding place and approached the two youngsters. He had seen and heard the entire conversation and was now fairly satisfied that they were not any sort of a threat to him. "Excuse me," he said, trying to attract duo's attention as he made his way forward.  
  
The snoopers jumped with fright. "Who's there?" Maria yelled with a start. Whirling around, she scanned the dimly lit room carefully for the owner of the voice. It did not take long for her to spy the shadowy figure creeping forward from dark. "I knew you were going to get us in trouble," she whispered to her companion, thinking that it was another crewmember sent to guard the room.  
  
Dave rolled his eyes shiftily. "Um, oops," he exclaimed sheepishly, "I guess I didn't count on there being a guard."  
  
Annoyed, the girl slapped herself in the forehead with her bare hand. She was just about to chastise the boy for not taking the whole situation more seriously when the Doctor finally came into view with his hands raised high above his head in case he was wrong about the strangers being harmless to him. "Excuse me," he asked genially as he approached, "but do either of you know where I can obtain a Class four inversion circuit?"  
  
Maria crossed her arms in front of her and grinned evilly at the advancing time lord. "Well," she said confidently as if her position on the ship was far more important than it actually was, "it looks like we've caught ourselves a stowaway."  
  
"A STOWAWAY!" the Doctor thundered. Rarely, had he been so insulted. "I assure you, child," he responded, "that is not the case."  
  
"CHILD!" Maria screamed back. Now it was her turn to be insulted. "I'll have you know-"  
  
"Wait a second," Dave interrupted, trying to stop an all out verbal war before it began, "He can't be a stowaway. We did a cargo check not two days ago and the captain and Commander Barrows did one yesterday as well."  
  
"SO," asked the young lady apathetically, "what's your point."  
  
The boy shook his head in disappointment. It surprised him that his co- worker, who had been so level headed in the past, was now acting so exasperated. Perhaps the captain's death had affected her more than she let on. Whatever the reason he now found himself in a position of being the cool headed part of the duo and he wasn't about to relinquish it, at least, not yet. "So," he said, repeating his partner's apathetic retort, "where has he been hiding?" "I don't know and I don't care!" Maria snapped back at her cohort, "He isn't a member of the crew. What else could he be?"  
  
The Doctor smiled slyly. "I can assure you," he said, lowering his arms, "that I am no stowaway. Even if I were I doubt that you would actually report the matter to anyone."  
  
"And why not," asked Maria, glaring sternly into the Doctor's eyes.  
  
The Doctor, meanwhile, extended his hand into his pocket and brought forth a small white sack. Reaching inside, he produced a small piece of candy. "Well," he began as he popped the sweet into his mouth," if my hearing is correct you mentioned that you would be thrown into the brig if you were found in here, correct?"  
  
"I guess you've got us there," Dave snickered. At the same time he threw a knowing glance at his partner.  
  
Angrily, Maria began to sputter out a great deal of nonsense, hoping that no one would catch on to the fact that she was only succeeding in burying her argument deeper and deeper by the second. It did not take her long to figure out that her tactics were failing miserably. So, being overwhelmed by the frustration of the whole situation, she turned authoritatively on her heel and stomped out of the cargo bay.  
  
For a moment, Dave stared at the Doctor in quiet awe. His co-worker was usually so forceful and intelligent that only the most intelligent of people could out debate her about anything. It was truly inspiring. At least it was for that one moment for in the next he burst forth into a roar of laughter.  
  
"Would you care for a sweet?" asked the time lord when the young boy had, at last, nearly regained his composure.  
  
"Thanks," remarked the other as he pulled a piece of candy out of the bag. Carefully, he held it up to his eye for a closer examination. "What is it?" he asked curiously.  
  
"I believe," remarked Doctor, "that they are called jelly babies."  
  
Intrigued, Dave popped the candy into his mouth expecting to experience a sweet and fruity taste much like the treats that he remembered from his childhood. Instead, however, it was bland. For a moment he completely forgot what it really was. He was sure that it somehow he must have been a piece of tree bark. The boy's face immediately contorted itself into a horribly evil expression of torment. "It's stale!" he cried as spit the candy out onto the floor.  
  
"I suppose it's not surprising," remarked the Doctor, sniffing the contents of the bag, "I found them in a compartment in my ship. There is no telling how long they were in there. It reminds of the time-"  
  
"Wait a second," Dave interrupted, trying to get the Doctor to stop rambling, "where did you say you found those." Suddenly something had clicked in his mind that he had not thought of before.  
  
The Doctor stared at the boy in deep curiosity. "In a small compartment in my ship," he answered now holding his product up to one eye for a close inspection, "Well, I don't know if you could really call it a compartment you see-"  
  
Before he could finish his explanation, however, by Maria finally came whirling back into the room as if she were the captain herself. "I've made up my mind," she announced as she marched purposefully across the floor, "and I don't care if I do end up in the brig you are a stowaway and it's my duty to report you."  
  
The Doctor lifted an eyebrow. "In that case I shall just have to leave," he said, turning on his heel and sauntering back to where he had come from.  
  
"Hey!" yelled the young lady after her prisoner, "Where are you going?"  
  
"I think he's going to his ship," Dave explained through a series of snickers and chuckles.  
  
Quickly, Maria shot a menacing stare in the boy's direction as she shot off after the Doctor who had just disappeared around a darkened corner. "Now look here," she yelled as authoritatively as she could, "there is no way a ship of any kind could get in here so why don't you just admit." Her voice trailed off as she gazed past the alleged stow away to what was standing behind him. "Where did that come from?" she asked, half in awe.  
  
"Ah, yes, that would be my ship," the Doctor explained smugly, twisting around to face the would be security guard, "It's the same one that you were explaining can't get in here."  
  
The young skeptic strolled up to the object and began examine the "ship." It did not look like any ship that she had ever seen before. In fact, it looked more like a large blue crate to her. But how had it gotten into the cargo bay. She was sure that it had never been there before. The only explanation that she could think of was that was, indeed a spaceship.  
  
Suddenly a dark thought began to penetrate the girl's mind. The captain was dead and the first officer was badly shaken up. Now, standing before her was a man who somehow seemed to have access to the cargo bay and his own ship.  
  
"I call it TARDIS," the Doctor continued, completely oblivious to the dark thoughts of the young lady, "Time And Relative Dimensions In Space."  
  
"Well," Maria shyly, " I guess you're not a stow away after all."  
  
In triumph, the Doctor thrust his hand deep into his pocket and, after a moment of fiddling here and there with his fingers produced another piece of stale candy. "Of course I am not a stow away," he said in a most irritating voice, "why would someone with his own ship need to stow away?"  
  
Maria smiled brightly. She was had him just where she wanted him now and she was going to bust him with it too. Unfortunately, before she could she was cut short by the sound of the cargo bay doors opening. This was followed, seconds later, the voice of Commander Barrows.  
  
"STANFORTH?" called the first officer angrily, "Where in the universe are you?"  
  
"I'm back here!" she called back still eyeing the stranger with an evil grin.  
  
The Doctor lifted his left eyebrow. "I see you were serious about not caring about the brig," he said, "slipping yet another candy into his mouth.  
  
"I don't have to be," the girl declared in her most commanding voice. "I know who you are and what you've done. I'll probably be rewarded for finding you."  
  
Just then Barrows came storming around the corner with Dave in tow by the collar. His face was curled into a frightful scowl and he was breathing heavy from rage. But, before the officer could question the two miscreants or to inquire about the stranger in his midst Maria began to explain the situation.  
  
"I'm glad you're here, Commander," she began, trying not to look to too nervous in his presence, "I think I may have solved the mystery of who killed Captain Henderson."  
  
The Doctor peered down at his hand. A small amount of blood was still clinging to the very tip of his fingers and he suddenly realized that he was the suspect.  
  
For his part, Commander Barrows contorted the bottom of his face into something resembling a smile although anyone would be hard pressed to call it genuine. "Please, enlighten me," he said still half enraged. Without a word Maria quickly raised her arm and pointed it directly at the Doctor.  
  
"You don't know that!" Dave yelled, attempting to release himself from the commander's grip. The Doctor folded his arms and gazed out over the three people in front of him. "When will I learn to not be so trusting," he asked himself.  
  
Curious, Barrows released the boy, sending him falling hard to the floor, and stepped forward to inspect the stranger. Then, after a moment, he moved to one side and began to look over the TARDIS. Slowly, the scowl began to disappear from his face. "Miss Stanforth," he said at length, would you be so kind as to call for security for me?" Maria nodded and trotted back into the maze of boxes with Dave close on her heels.  
  
"You must be Commander Barrows," the time lord declared reaching into his pocket. Once again he produced the white bag of candy and placed yet another into his mouth. "I'm known as the Doctor. Would you care for a jelly  
  
baby?"  
  
The officer's face crinkled once more into a scowl. He slapped the bag out of the traveler's hand sending small bits of colored candy streaking across the floor as if someone had shattered a rainbow. "Well, that was uncalled for," said the Doctor still chewing on the candy.  
  
Meanwhile, in the corridor, Dave attempted to chase down Maria and hopefully figure out what exactly was going on inside of her head. The girl, however, simply trotted along, oblivious to the calls of her companion. When she did finally stop it was next to a small metal box that hung tightly to the ship's bulkhead. Then, still ignoring her co-worker, the young lady opened the box and depressed a small button that was hidden inside. "Security to the cargo bay," she ordered.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Dave questioned as he ran up the girl.  
  
"Calling for security," answered the other with a look of near puzzlement, "just as the commander ordered me to."  
  
The boy looked deep into fiery eyes of his friend. He could not believe that she would ever follow any order as blindly as that. "But you don't know that he actually did anything," he pleaded.  
  
"Please say that you aren't that naive," Maria announced as she flew back toward the cargo bay.  
  
"And what's that suppose to mean?" Dave asked as he perused her.  
  
Instantly, Maria stopped and whirled around to face her companion allowing her long dark hair to fall across one eye. At the same time the other eye danced with a great fire and in the midst of it a small spark was sent out toward the young boy igniting a little fire of its own with him.  
  
On the other hand, the girl was considering far more different ideas. "It means," she said, "that there is a man in the cargo bay who wasn't there last time we were, has access to his own ship and the cargo bay and the commander seems to suspect the there may be some connection to the captain's death."   
  
Dave's head dropped. The evidence seemed logical but there was something he still wasn't sure about. The Doctor, at least to him, did not seem like a murderer. He was just about to voice his concern on the matter too, when two security guards rushed past them toward the cargo bay. Suddenly, Maria and Dave dropped their conversation and followed the two men to see what would happen next.  
  
But it was too late to discuss it now. The two guards rushed into the cargo bay with their side arms drawn as if they were sure that they were going to be attacked. Two seconds later Maria and Dave followed and they all flew on back to where the others were.  
  
As soon as they had stepped into view Barrows sprang into action. "Arrest this man for the murder of Captain Henderson!" He yelled, throwing a finger toward the time lord.  
  
Without a word the guards grabbed the Doctor, who was too stunned to struggle or even run, by each arms and began to escort him out of the bay.  
  
"Not you," Barrows yelled at the escort on the prisoner's left arm. The guard immediately detached himself from his captive and holstered his weapon. Leaving the remaining guard to continue on.   
  
"Make sure no one comes near this thing," the Commander instructed pointing toward the TARDIS. The guard nodded and made his way to the ship where he took his place with folded arms determined that no one should pass.   
  
Off to the side Maria stood smiling heartily in hopes of a commendation. Dave, who was still slightly confused by the matter, stood next to her gazing back and forth between Commander Barrows and the guard  
  
wondering what he should do next.  
  
Now the first officer turned his attention toward both of them. Slowly, he moved toward the youngsters, his face still featuring the same scowl it did a few moments before. "And what did you think you two were you doing?" Maria's smile plunged from her face as she realized that a commendation was not in her superior's mind. "W- we were ah, inspecting the cargo," she stuttered.  
  
"You were ordered not to come in here," Barrows explained, straightening his shoulders, "you are confined to quarters for the rest of the voyage."  
  
Dave folded his arms and looked directly into the commander's eyes. "Then who is going to clean the ship?" He asked smugly.  
  
The commander was not amused. In fact, he was quite irritated. "Maybe you would rather be in the brig?" he asked, leaning into the boy's face.   
  
The young man swallowed hard as a forced smile penetrated his lips. "No sir," he conceded, "our quarters will be fine." And with that, he grabbed Maria by the hand and, as fast as he could, exited the cargo bay before anything else could happen.  
  
As soon as they had gone the officer laughed quietly to himself as he turned back toward the mysterious crate and tapped it with his palm. "Amazing, isn't it," he asked the guard who was now staring alertly beside the TARDIS. "How do you suppose that thing got in here?"  
  
"Do you even know who he is," the guard replied. Barrows shook his head, "I haven't a clue but we needed someone to take the fall. I think he called himself the Doctor."  
  
Just then the crate began to shake violently causing the commander to take his hand off and backed away as if it were a bomb. "DOCTOR!" an electronic voice rang out, "The Doctor is here!"  
  
In curious terror the guard drew his weapon and approached the box to investigate. As he did the front end cracked, then splintered, and finally broke in two. Then, a laser pierced the air knocking the guard back several feet.  
  
"What are you doing?" Barrows yelled, "This wasn't the plan."  
  
The electronic voice rang out again, "The plan has changed. The Doctor is here!"  
  
"But it's too early," the commander pleaded, "We must wait!"  
  
"Do not argue. You are here only to serve us. We are superior. We are the Daleks!"  
  
To be continued. . . 


	3. What's Up Doc

The Cassiopeia Conspiracy  
  
Part Three: What's Up Doc  
  
The Doctor moved slowly down the hall toward the brig, peering out of the corner of his eye at the armed security guard behind him with each step. He had already been double-crossed once and he was not about to let it happen again.  
  
"Get a move on," yelled the guard shoving his captive forward.  
  
"My dear sir," declared the prisoner, lunging forward, "I don't suppose that you would be willing to believe me if I said I was innocent?"  
  
The guard strolled up until he was in close proximity behind his detainee. "How'd you guess?" He whispered gruffly.  
  
The time lord grinned. This was his chance. Suddenly he came to a quick and abrupt stop causing the security officer to crash heavily into his back. At the same time he dropped his foot on top of the guard's, knocking the weapon from his hand and sending it twirling off a short distance down the hall. Quickly, the guard reached out for his prisoner but it was too late, his prisoner had escaped.  
  
The Doctor never looked back. He rushed down the corridor and around the first corner he came to. As soon as he had done so, however, a loud cry split the air. Without missing a beat he stopped in his tracks, whirled around, and headed back the way he had came but as he turned the corner back into the hall he had came to a screeching halt.  
  
He looked over the scene motionlessly. There before him was the slain body of the security guard laying face down on the deck, his hand stretched out in front just touching the butt of his weapon.  
  
Cautiously, the Doctor approached the corpse to investigate the situation. As he did an uneasy feeling came over him. Whatever it was that had just happened seemed far too familiar.  
  
He knelt down on one knee and turned the guard onto his back. In the middle of the man's chest was large black charred spot, almost a hole. Once again a strange feeling came over him as if he knew what to expect next.  
  
Curiously, the time traveler leaned forward and sniffed the wound. A faint odor of char wafted upward into the Doctor's nasal passages. Now he was almost sure what he was dealing with and he hoped beyond hope that he was wrong.  
  
Unfortunately, before a final analysis could be made his fears were brought to light. Further down the hall a low, faint hum became audible and quickly grew louder with every second as it approached. The Doctor knew all too well what it was. He had fought the loathsome creatures enough times before and the possibility that they may be about once again made his blood run cold.  
  
Hastily, he jumped to his feet and sped off down the corridor but it was too late. Just as the Doctor rounded the corner a Dalek emerged from the opposite hall in time to see it's escaping enemy. "THE DOCTOR," it cried out as soon as it had spotted him, "He must be exterminated!"  
  
The time lord flew down the hall scanning every inch of the corridor looking for a place to escape to. It did not take long. At the conclusion of one long passage a small metal grate sat in the wall only inches off of the floor. "An air duct," exclaimed the Doctor as he squatted down in from of it.  
  
Immediately, the sonic screwdriver was deployed and set to work and one by one each of the screws that had been holding the cover in place fell to the deck with a loud clang. All the while the constant low hum of the pursuing Dalek grew louder sending a shiver through the man's spine. Finally, when he had freed the grating, the Doctor removed it and set it aside. Then, with all the swiftness that he could muster, plunged himself headlong into the small hole.  
  
At the very same time the Dalek turned the corner into the hall and rolled up to the air duct in pursuit of its prey. Unfortunately, the size of the hole prevented any such possibility, leaving the machine with no other choice than to give up the chase for the moment and report back to its superior.  
  
Meanwhile, Dave was laying happily on his bunk thumbing through the pages of an old well-worn book. He had read it so many times before that he had practically memorized it and, at the moment, his only interest in it was as a way to get himself close to something resembling a nap.  
  
Just above him Maria was scribbling furiously in her journal, setting down for all eternity the story of how unfairly she had been treated. "I can't believe it!" she vented to herself, "we caught a murderer and now we are confined to quarters."  
  
"I can't believe you're surprised," retorted the other, his nose still firmly lodged in the pages of his book, "you're the one who was going on about what would happen if we got caught."  
  
Maria hung her head over the edge of the bed. Her hair dangled straight down from her head and waved to and fro in the air as if were water, flowing in and out with the tide. "That was before," she groused, " Haven't you ever heard of extenuating circumstances?"  
  
Dave looked up from his hardback, "And by the way, I'm not convinced that he was guilty."  
  
"HOW MUCH PROOF DO YOU NEED?" The girl yelled, "he was hiding in the cargo hold.with his own ship of all things!"  
  
The youngster sneered at his associate, playfully taunting her in hopes that she would change the subject. With a huff, Maria rolled herself back up to her bunk and lay, staring at the ceiling, contemplating why she bothered to put up with her co-worker's childish games. The answer was all too clear and in the next second she found herself leaning over the side of the bed once again. "Dave," she said in a pleasantly calm voice, "can I ask you a question?"  
  
Dave peered over his book cautiously. He had never heard his friend use such a non - authorative tone before, especially, when she was addressing him. "I suppose," he answered cautiously.  
  
Maria smiled sweetly and took a deep breath. "What do think you of - " CLANG!  
  
"WHAT WAS THAT?" Dave yelled, leaping of his bunk and on to the floor.  
  
Maria, in complete annoyance of the noise, took a deep breath and once again attempted to inquire of her cohort. "I need to ask you something," she said, slightly more dramatic than before.  
  
CLANG! ""I think it's coming from the air duct," Dave said, in almost complete ignorance of the girl's question. Curious, he leaped onto Maria's bunk and started to look over the small metal grating in the wall. A shadowy figure gazed back at her from inside.  
  
"Pardon me," said the figure, "but would you be so kind as to release me from here?"  
  
Dave ran his fingers along the grating but found no method of release. "And how would you suggest that we do that?" he inquired sarcastically.  
  
Maria instantly recognized the voice as belonging to the Doctor, threw a hand over top of the grating. "I say we leave him there," she blurted out.  
  
"My dear child," pleaded the figure, "there is great danger about. We must - "  
  
"The only danger here is you!" yelled the girl; slipping off of the bed, "I'm going to get the guard." And, with that, she and strolled triumphantly toward the door.  
  
"WAIT," cried the Doctor in earnest. "They'll kill you!"  
  
"Who!" asked Maria turning in a huff, "You're the only murder I know of."  
  
"The Daleks," replied the time lord coldly.  
  
Dave moved his hands all around the grating, looking for anywhere he could pry it open. "Who are the they?" he asked.  
  
The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. Turning it sideways he then passed the device through the grating to Dave. "The Daleks," he explained, "are the most terrifying force in the universe. Their only purpose for existing is to conquer."  
  
Angrily, Maria marched back to the bed and climbed up the side so that she was directly behind Dave who was busy investigating the object that the Doctor had just given to him. Then, without the slightest hint of courtesy, the girl reached around and snatched the sonic screwdriver out the boy's hands before he knew she was there. "What is this?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"You mean you don't know?" Dave chuckled. "I thought that someone as smart as you would be able to identify almost anything."  
  
"Very funny." said young lady sarcastically as she tossed the sonic screwdriver onto the bunk. "Leave him in there." She ordered leaping off the bunk and onto the floor. " I'm going to get the guard."  
  
"Excuse me," interjected the Doctor, "but would you mind terribly much getting me out of here? It's very uncomfortable lying in here on my chest."  
  
Quickly, Dave picked the object up off the bunk and twisted it around in his hand trying to figure out how to turn it on. "I don't mind at all," he said, "if you'll tell me how to use this thing."  
  
Once again Maria spun around on her heel. She could not believe she just heard that. Was she not his superior? Angrily, she stared her compatriot directly in his eyes from across the room. "I said leave him in there." she ordered.  
  
"But why?" questioned the other, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Because he's a killer!" yelled the girl in disguised. "If you let him out he'll go straight for your neck!"  
  
"You don't know that!" responded the other still trying to understand the instrument in his hands.  
  
Suddenly, Maria let out a great grunt of frustration that, to her companion, resembled something close to a sick moose, whirled back around, and headed straight through the door into the hall. As soon as she did, however, she staggered back into the room in shock. The guard, which had been assigned to keep watch on the room, was lying dead as a doornail on the deck.  
  
The hard reality struck her soundly causing her mind to fly in a thousand directions at once. She had never truly seen death before. Her complexion turned a pale white and her heart roared into over drive. She stared across the room at Dave but was unable to speak. There was almost a deathly silence. The only sound was the muffled voice of the Doctor franticly explaining the sonic screwdriver.  
  
A few seconds later the metal grating was removed and the Doctor climbed out of the air duct. "What seems to be the matter with your friend," he asked noticing Maria's face.  
  
Dave turned around just as Maria bent over and placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "What happened," he asked jumping off of the bunk. The girl said nothing. Instead, she merely pointed at the door. The boy immediately headed for the door.  
  
"Wait a moment," ordered the Doctor, "I'll go." The Time Lord slipped off of the side of the bed and made his way cautiously to the door. At the same time Maria paced to the other end of the room and almost collapsed onto the bottom bunk.  
  
Dave followed close behind the time traveler as he cautiously scooted himself across the floor. He was curious to see what could have frightened his co - worker so much, some one that was seemingly afraid of nothing. Slowly the Time Lord stepped out into the hall and glanced down both directions. There was nothing there except the dead guard and it was obvious how he had died.  
  
"Don't come out here." ordered the Doctor, stepping back into the room and closing the door.  
  
Now the boy was more curious than ever. "Why not?" he asked excitedly. "What's out there?"  
  
The Doctor's face turned cold and grim. "The same thing that is always left by the Daleks," he answered sadly, "death."  
  
Dave gulped hard. "What, the guard is dead?"  
  
"I'm afraid so," answered the Doctor, rubbing his chin in thought.  
  
"What have you done?" Maria cried out suddenly at the top of her lungs between sobs.  
  
Her comrade was still less than convinced. In fact, he was now more convinced that The Time Lord was innocent. He had escaped from the guards but if he were a killer, why were they still alive? Slowly, he made his way back across the room to Miss Stanforth's side. "Maria," he said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I think that things may be a little different than we first suspected."  
  
"Yes, I know," the girl countered angrily as she swept the boy's hand away, "He's killed two people now and your making friends with him."  
  
Now the Doctor strolled over to the bed and leaned sideways against the post. "If I'm a blood thirsty killer, as you suspect," he asked smugly, "would I not have killed the both of you by now?"  
  
Dave smiled slightly. It was about time that this came out. In fact, he was overwhelmed in wondering why he had not mentioned it himself.  
  
Maria stared deep into the Doctor's eyes. They were very strange, unlike any she had ever seen before. It was as she was looking deep into the heart of the universe, filled with knowledge and understanding and yet, alone, as if he existed for only one purpose. What that purpose was, however, she did not know. "Who are you," she asked still slightly stunned.  
  
"I am known as the Doctor," the Time Lord answered, moving back to the bed. When he had crawled to the top he turned and looked over the edge at the two youngsters. They were staring back in wonderment at the man. He pretended not to notice "Come on then." He ordered.  
  
In a flash, Dave pulled himself up to the top of the bed. "Where are we going?" He asked, somewhat excitedly.  
  
The Time Lord turned and began to push himself back into the air duct beside him. "Someplace relatively safe." He answered without looking back.  
  
"HOLD IT!" Came a sudden cry from below. Maria had slightly regained her wits and was attempting to decipher the Doctor's intentions. "I'm still not convinced that you aren't a killer." She squawked. "What I do know is that there is a dead man in the hall. Are you trying to tell me that he was killed by some evil machine?"  
  
The Doctor pulled himself out of the duct and leaned forward over the side of the bed. "That is exactly what I am saying." He responded. "And if you don't hurry we will be their next victims."  
  
Maria put her hand on the top of the bed and to pulled her self up. The bunk began to sway as she hoisted herself upward. As she did a large creak echoed through the room. "It looks like I'm caught." the girl admitted once her head had appeared over the top of the bunk. "You may be a murderer but I don't think it would be wise not to take your story seriously . . . no matter how off the wall it sounds."  
  
"As I told you before," the Doctor reiterated extending a gentlemanly hand to the lady, "I am not a murderer. And besides, I need your help."  
  
Maria smiled wryly at the Time Lord's gesture. "No thanks." She declined, pulling her leg over the top. At the same time the bed released yet another resounding creak, much longer and louder than before.  
  
Nervously, Dave swung around to face the Doctor. "I think, maybe, we should go now. The bed doesn't seem to like having all of us up here at once."  
  
"Not a bad idea." Answered the Time Lord, sliding into the air duct. "Fortunately, I think I know of a relatively safe place where we discuss our situation."  
  
"Where not safe in here?" Dave asked worming his way into the duct.  
  
The Doctor moved up to make room for his associates. "I wouldn't think so. A Dalek saw me squeeze in here. They probably already have a plan to try to get me out."  
  
Next, Maria reluctantly pulled herself in behind the other two. She may have resolved that she needed to follow the others but she did not have to like it. "So, Where are we going?" She asked.  
  
"The waste receptacle units." The Doctor replied.  
  
"You've got to be kidding." Dave whined. "Isn't there someplace else. Maybe a place that doesn't usually smell worse than a pile of rotten eggs?"  
  
"The smell might be a little bothersome." The other laughed. "But its location in the ship should keep us hidden from the Daleks for at least a little bit."  
  
That was the last word spoken for quite some time. The trio moved slowly through the air duct in silence as to avoid detection.  
  
The Doctor moved slowly but deliberately through the minute halls of the air duct constantly looking out for the correct route. Every now and then the Doctor would turn left or right or even stop entirely to consider the situation. As they proceeded Maria began to feel a sense of concern. She wondered how it was that this stranger knew his way around the ship so well.  
  
The corridor grew dark as the small group trudged along on their hands and knees. The further they ventured into the blackness the more the blackness overwhelmed them. Finally, the Doctor pulled out a match and struck the head producing a small yet mysterious glow. The light reflected off of the metal inside the air duct casting numerous shadows over the passage that danced and waved at the small party. The strange light show was short lived, however. The match soon burned down scorching the Doctor's fingers. Let out a soft but loud yelp he thrust his hand up and down in the air attempting to relieve him self of the pain. In a matter of moments he had do so and the party continued on their way.  
  
As they crept forward Maria held onto Dave's boot so as to remain with the group. In the same way Dave kept one hand on the Doctor's scarf which, as usual, trailed behind. At last the trio turned a corner and noticed a small light near the end intruding into the corridor. The Doctor crawled toward the light followed by his two cohorts. As they approached Maria could see that the light was protruding through a grating similar to the one in her quarters.  
  
When they had finally reached the light the Doctor bent himself this way and that until he was curled up vertically. The two youngsters crawled up from behind and followed suit. The Doctor leaned over and peeked through the grating next to him. A small pit lay far beneath the air duct. Inside a huge pile of garbage and waste rotted and festered. A powerful odor emanated up toward the vent causing the trio to cough from time to time. Just above the air duct the pit was laced with small dim lights for security purposes. They allowed just enough luminosity that the air duct on the opposite end was barely visible.  
  
The Doctor looked back over his other should to see that everyone was present. "This must be one of the least useful places on the ship," he said thoughtfully, "we should be safe here for a little while." "Alright Doctor," Maria said still skeptical of the man's intentions, "assuming that these Dalek are really real why are they attacking a lowly freighter?"  
  
"A very good question," responded the Doctor thoughtfully, "what is this ship destination?"  
  
"Cassiopeia," Dave answered.  
  
Maria rolled her eyes as she let out a deep sigh of annoyance. "Deep Outpost 1719 on Cassiopeia," she corrected.  
  
Dave shook his head in irritation. At the same time the Doctor began to mutter to himself. After a moment he turned to the two youngsters beside him. The expression on his face bore a resemblance to a man who had just received a divine revelation. "Does this outpost have a communications array?"  
  
Maria nodded her head affirmatively. "I think so. But that's about all I really know."  
  
The Doctor's eyes lit up as if they were firecrackers. He leapt upward to better see both of his companions striking his head on the top of the duct. He slid slowly back to his previous position.  
  
"Quickly," he moaned rubbing his head, "what is the date?"  
  
"Earth date or Space date," Dave huffed in sarcasm shooting an eye toward his female companion.  
  
Maria scowled at the boy in deep annoyance. "Quiet," she demanded, "this could be important."  
  
The boy chuckled in awe. "I can't believe this," he grumbled, "a few minutes ago you didn't believe a word of this. You called him a murder."  
  
"I don't have time to explain the intricacies of my thought process to you," Chided the young lady,"But if he brought us all the way here just to kill us we'd be dead now. I'm not sure if he killed Captain Henderson but if we're down here and alive something must be going on. ALL RIGHT?"  
  
The young lad shook his head and chuckled once more. He opened his mouth to argue with the girl but before a syllable could be uttered was silenced by the Doctor. "Quiet," the Time Lord ordered, "time is of the essence, the date please."  
  
"On Earth the date is October the twenty - fifth," answered Maria confidently.  
  
"What year," the Doctor demanded.  
  
"2520," Maria said slightly confused by the question.  
  
The Doctor leaned back once more stroking his chin. A few moments later a smile penetrated his face and he began to laugh. "It's so simple," he said to himself, "but how did they get loose?"  
  
Dave stared at the Doctor attempting to grasp the concept of his ramblings. "Get loose," he asked.  
  
The question jerked the Doctor out of his thoughtful trance. "Yes, loose," he answered.  
  
"Who? From where?"  
  
"No time for that now," stated the Doctor as he prepared to crawl past Maria and Dave, "we have to make sure this ship does not get to Cassiopeia."  
  
Just then the small light atop the shaft began to buzz.  
  
  
  
  
  
pen while we're in here we'll all die."  
  
To be continued . . . 


	4. The Conspiracy

The Cassiopeia Conspiracy  
  
Part Four: The Conspiracy  
  
The alarm blared loudly through the air duct warning danger. It chased after The Doctor, Maria, and Dave as they scurried this way and that through the dark passages as if they were three blind mice barely staying together.  
  
Without warning, the Doctor, who was in the lead, came to sudden stop causing Dave to crash into the back of him. Maria, in turn, ran head long into Dave.  
  
"What's going on," the young boy yelled over the alarm, "why did we stop?"  
  
The timelord stared deep into the blackness before him. It seemed to swirl around in the air. It was almost as though he could see death before him. "I think we're lost," he replied solemnly to the lad.  
  
The young boy squeezed himself up next to the Doctor. "We still have to keep moving," he said, "it's our only chance."  
  
"Not necessarily," explained the traveler, "If we-"  
  
Before he could finish his sentence an ear piercing screamed penetrated the air. As Maria leaned forward to hear what the men were saying a barrier began to slowly extend from the ceiling of the duct startling her. After she had regained her wits Maria quickly crawled underneath the obstacle.  
  
"MARIA," Dave yelled as he fumbled around in the blackness for his companion. "Are you all right?  
  
"What happened," The Doctor asked as he struck a match.  
  
Maria took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "I'm fine," she reassured, "This wall started to drop from the ceiling. It just startled me."  
  
The Doctor crawled over the youngsters to examine the barrier. "Listen," he said thoughtfully, "The alarm is almost totally muffled."  
  
Dave wormed forward attempting to release himself from underneath the Doctor. "So what's your point," he moaned.  
  
"This wall must be extremely thick," observed the timelord, " It's probably airtight."  
  
The two youngsters breathed a sigh of relief at the news. The danger had passed. What remained now was attempting to evacuate themselves from the air shaft. This was a considerably difficult task because of all the scrambling that they had done in the dark earlier and it soon became apparent to all three of them that they were lost.  
  
The three companions proceeded cautiously through the air duct by match light. As they crawled along they became very silent once again to avoid detection. They clamber on for what seemed like miles in utter silence turning one direction and then another stopping periodically when a match would burn out.  
  
Around one corner the party noticed a small metal grating similar to those they had crawled though earlier but only half the size.  
  
As the trio passed the grating they heard the small horrific hum of a Dalek. The Doctor quickly waved his hand in the air to extinguish the match. He then turned and peered into the room beyond. It was a small room with one control panel, which sat atop a pedestal that faced away from the grating. The walls of the room glowed white giving the illusion of a heavenly chamber. Inside a Dalek paced backed in forth between the control panel and the door on the right.  
  
The two youngsters inched forward to see what the Doctor was so interested in. As they stared through the grating a wave of fear splashed over them. In that moment Maria realized that the Doctor had been telling her the truth. The guard that she had seen was murdered by one of these horrible creatures.  
  
On the other hand, the boy wasn't totally sure what to make of the machine. It rolled back and forth from one end of the floor to the other as if it were a child's toy that had been left on to wander aimlessly. He quickly turned to the Doctor for information but was met only by a finger next to the timelord's lips.  
  
Just then the doors to the room opened revealing Commander Barrows.  
  
"Report," ordered the Dalek in a high pitched reverberating voice.  
  
Barrows stepped into the room and stood at attention as if he were about to receive a medal. "The entire crew and the Doctor have now been eliminated," he announced.  
  
"Excellent," the machine praised, "where is the Doctor's body?"  
  
"Body," repeated the commander, "There is no body. He and the two remaining crew members have been ejected into space."  
  
The Dalek rolled forward. "PROOF," it demanded, "There must be proof!"  
  
The Commander stepped backward cautiously. "I assure you that there was no possibility of survival. They are dead."  
  
"Do not argue with the Daleks," ranted the machine, "The Doctor has eluded us before. There must be proof."  
  
Barrows stepped behind the control platform and proceeded to work the controls hoping to calm his nerves. "I thought know one was a match for the Daleks," he said sarcastically, "Even if there are only two of you. Besides, they were blown into space. So I tell you again, there is no proof!" The machine of death rolled backward and extended its weapon. "Then your report is inaccurate," it blared.  
  
The first officer lifted his hands into the air. "You don't know that," he pleaded. "If you will-"  
  
"We can not take that chance. You have failed. The Doctor must be exterminated."  
  
Maria and Dave stared at each other in shock. The evil machines that the Doctor had described were real and one of them had a weapon pointed at their commanding officer. Without thinking Dave reared back his foot and struck the side of the air duct. The sound reverberated stridently through the air in all directions like a gong.  
  
Inside the room the Dalek turned looking for the source of the disturbance. Noticing the small ventilation grating it turned back to Commander Barrows. "The Doctor is alive," it shouted, "you have failed!"  
  
Barrows took several steps backwards until he was against the wall. "Wait," he pleaded. But before he could continue a bolt flew out of the Dalek's weapon striking him in the torso. The commander slumped to his knees and then to the floor.  
  
The Doctor wasted no time in gathering his companions and making a hasty retreat down the air duct at the same time he chastising Dave for his actions. It wasn't long before they had reached a duct of appropriate size the three mice escaped from the dark maze.  
  
As they pulled themselves out of the duct they noticed that they were back in the conference room. They looked around cautiously for any sign of trouble. Maria pulled herself out of the shaft and brushed the dust from her uniform. At the same time she noticed the Doctor who was leaning against the table staring at a piece of paper. A wide grin sat upon his face.  
  
"Doctor," Maria began cautiously, "what's that?"  
  
The timelord looked up from the paper in his hand. "There are only two of them," he announced chuckling.  
  
"Two of what," Dave asked circling behind to see what was on the paper.  
  
The Doctor handed the paper to the boy. "Daleks," he said as he pushed himself off of the table.  
  
Dave slid over and showed the paper to Maria. It was a copy of the ship's orders:  
  
From: Lunar Shipping Co. To: Capt. Ronald Henderson, Subject: Orders  
  
You are hereby requested to pickup the following cargo from station seven, Mars. Proceed then to Deep Outpost 1719 on Cassiopeia for full delivery. Return and be decommissioned.  
  
Crate 112579 Crate 112580  
  
Acting Head Lunar Shipping Co., D. Ross  
  
Maria jumped up and sat on the table. "I don't get it," she said, "these are standard orders."  
  
"Besides," said Dave jumping in, "if there are only two of these things why don't we destroy them and get it over with?"  
  
The Doctor paced back and forth from the table to the wall considering what he had just seen. "First of all," he began, "two Daleks or ten doesn't make a great deal of difference, they are almost impossible to destroy. Secondly, look at that paper again and tell me what you see."  
  
The two youngsters stared intently at the document once again looking for the clue the Doctor had pointed out. Their eyes flew over the orders like radar searching for the enemy but to no avail. At last, they lifted their eyes in defeat. "I don't see anything," Dave shrugged.  
  
"Me either," Maria concurred unless you want to count the stop for the two boxes."  
  
The Doctor smiled, "What if I do?"  
  
The girl shook her head. "It may be unusual," she said, "but it does happen."  
  
The Doctor snatched the paper from Maria and examined it a second time. "Look at these cargo numbers," he pointed out, "I wonder how crates 112579 and 112580 are listed on the cargo manifest."  
  
Maria folded her arms in front of her and pulled her left foot onto the table. "Dave, did we ever find out about those two crates," she asked pensively.  
  
"What crates," The boy asked shrugging his shoulders.  
  
"Yes, what crates," the Doctor repeated in interest.  
  
"The last time we were checking the cargo," Maria explained as she jumped off of the table, "there were two boxes that did not match anything on the manifest."  
  
"Excellent," the Doctor said folding the paper and placing it into his hip pocket, "this almost proves my theory."  
  
"Theory," Dave queried, "what th. what is that smell?"  
  
The other two other persons in the room sniffed the air. A faint odor entered into their nostrils. As it proceeded further into their bodies it burned their lungs causing them to cough.  
  
Before long all three were now convulsing in coughs. They turned around hoping to escape back into the air duct. It was not to be. A large green cloud of gas was pouring into the room.  
  
Dave stumbled toward the door hoping for escape with his companions following close behind. When they were near enough the doors swung open. The trio lurched forward into the hall tripping over one another and falling to the deck with a loud thud.  
  
They all gasped for air as the remaining gas cloud above them moved upward and began to dissipate. "Well, I guess the Daleks found us," Maria wheezed as she lay half in shock on her stomach.  
  
The timelord, who was also lying face down, set his arms on either side of his body and pushed him self upward. "We must retreat quickly," he explained as he rose, "before." His voice trailed off into.  
  
All of this had gone unnoticed by the young girl for her attention was focused on the individual to the opposite side. The lad was lying face up on the deck staring at the ceiling in a trance like state. His eyes were nearly glazed over and the expression on his face was that of extreme terror. For a moment he almost seemed dead and if it were not for the slight sound of air escaping from his lungs he would have most certainly been considered so.  
  
"Hey Dave," she asked compassionately, "are you all right?" There was no answer. The silence cast an eerie feeling around halls. It was as though time its self had ceased.  
  
The young lady slowly lifted her eyes upward. The image before her caused her to gasp. Two Daleks towered above her as if they were hawks preparing to strike at their prey. Her heart pounded as she slowly stood up.  
  
"At last, Doctor," gloated one of the monstrosities, "you will be exterminated.  
  
The captive smiled wryly. "Except for one thing," he replied arrogantly, "only I know the code for Taurus 9."  
  
"We have that information as well," retorted the machine, "you will be exterminated." With that the Dalek raised its weapon preparing to fire.  
  
"Do you have the second code," the captive swiftly questioned.  
  
"There is only one code," cried the robot  
  
"Perhaps," came the answer, "but can you afford to kill us without being sure?"  
  
"The Daleks can break any code. You are not needed."  
  
The timelord clasped his hands behind his back. "Usually I would agree but this is a temporal location code."  
  
At that moment the evil inside of the Dalek seemed to fill the corridor. "Take them to the ship's brig," it ordered, "we will interrogate them later and then, exterminate them."  
  
"I obey," announced the second machine turning to herd the prisoners down the corridor.  
  
As the three travelers marched down the hall under the guard of the evil machine the Doctor's mind continued to work. "Tell me," he asked slyly, "what is the first code anyway."  
  
"Silence," ordered the machine.  
  
With that Dave once again felt the urge to undermine authority. Although the huge beast behind him was intimidating, the Doctor's confidence some how made him feel braver. "What are you going to do if we're not," he mocked, "shoot us?"  
  
The Dalek continued toward the brig, "Only the Doctor has the code. Only the Doctor is not expendable."  
  
When they reached the brig the hostages were throw into a small cell. Several laser beams across the door prevented any escape. The Dalek who had escorted them rolled backward and watched the prisoners from the far wall. For his part The Doctor began to pace back and forth inside the cell with his hand on his chin. "Very interesting," he muttered to himself.  
  
"Doctor," asked the girl still shaking slightly from the experience, "What's going on?"  
  
"A very good question," he answered still pacing, "tell me, what was in those two boxes?"  
  
Dave turned and started to follow his pacing partner around the cell, "I think that Maria was trying to explain that before. We don't know."  
  
"When I was in the cargo hold I found a large crate that had a slight vibration to it. I wouldn't be surprised if those two Daleks were inside. But, what was in the other."  
  
"Wait a second," the young girl stepped in front of the Doctor causing him to stop. "Before we get into that what's all this about Taurus 9?"  
  
"Taurus 9," explained the timelord, "is the planet that holds nearly the entire Dalek population prisoner. The two on this ship are the only ones that I know of that are free."  
  
"Then why have they any interest in us or our ship. For that matter, why do they have any interest in Cassiopeia," questioned the young boy.  
  
"I would have thought that was obvious by now," said the Doctor tossing a look at Maria.  
  
The girl looked back at the timelord with extreme curiosity. "What are you looking at me for," she asked.  
  
Realizing that neither of his companions understood the time traveler began to spell out the details. "To answer your first question, Dave, they have no real interest in either of you except as a means to persuade me into revealing to them the code for Taurus 9. To answer your second question this ship will get them to Cassiopeia. Now, as we have already said the outpost on Cassiopeia has a communications array. Does that clear things?"  
  
As he spoke Maria moved to the wall on the far end of the cell. Leaning her back against it she folded her arms in front of her. "I think I'm more lost now than before," she responded.  
  
Dave chuckled lightly to himself. It was a rare treat to see his colleague wallowing in ignorance. "You mean I understand something you don't," he asked sarcastically.  
  
"Explain it then," retorted the female sharply.  
  
The youth stood up straight and thrust his nose in the air trying to look as much like an intelligent scholar as possible. "It means," he said as he sauntered over to his cellmate that, "that the Daleks are going to contact the prisoners on Taurus 9 from Cassiopeia and give them the codes to free themselves."  
  
Maria pushed herself off of the wall and stood nose to nose with her cohort. "Nice try," she said, "but how can the other Daleks get the message if they are imprisoned on Taurus 9?"  
  
"That's a rather more difficult question," responded the Doctor as he stepped between the quarrelers, "you see, in reality there is no Taurus 9. As a matter of fact the planet is only an outer shell."  
  
"Of what," asked the girl now more puzzled than ever.  
  
"Of a spacecraft."  
  
Dave scratched his forehead as he looked thoughtfully at the man in front of him. It didn't seem possible to him that any spacecraft could be disguised as a planet. "How was that accomplished," he asked inquisitively.  
  
The timelord smiled at the boy knowingly. "You wouldn't understand," he replied, "At present our priority is - "  
  
"Just a minute," interrupted the young girl, "are you saying that the entire population of Daleks is stuck on of a star ship inside of a planet that's not really a planet?"  
  
"Pretty close," answered the traveler, "now, if we-"  
  
"And if they get the code they can release themselves," the girl quarried, once more breaking in.  
  
"That's right," answered the man with a hint of irritation. "Now then, as I was saying, our priority is to stop this ship from getting to Cassiopeia at all costs. We'll have to get to the bridge and somehow make a course correction with out giving away our intentions."  
  
Once again the Doctor began to trail off leaving his two companions to think for themselves. They both leaned up against the wall and slid to the ground. "Are you as scared as I am," Dave asked in the manliest way he could think of.  
  
"I hope not," Maria answered staring straight ahead, "I wouldn't wish that on anyone." She idiosyncratically pulled her back behind her head. It had finally fallen in front of her eyes one time too many. Lacking any sort of an instrument to hold it in place, however, she relied on tying it into a loose knot. "Hold on a second, Doctor," she ordered, "How is changing course going to help. Won't they just change it back?"  
  
The traveler looked up from his deep thought as if he had just had a religious experience, "Just a moment changing the course won't help at all unless we can lock it down."  
  
"Excuse me, Doctor," Dave interjected, "but I think we should solve a bigger problem than that first."  
  
Both of the boys companions turn with strange expressions on their faces."Bigger," they questioned in unison.  
  
"Yes, bigger," answered the lad, "how do we get out of here?"  
  
To be continued. 


	5. No Way Out But Up

The Cassiopeia Conspiracy  
  
Part Five: No Way Out But Up  
  
The Doctor sat on one knee examining the laser barriers closely. He stared at them with great conviction for some time attempting to unlock their secrets. "That's odd," he finally said to him self, " this laser field uses a triple feed bypass loop. How ingenious."  
  
Dave stood up from the floor where he had been sitting next to Maria. "Never mind that," he said as he walked over to the Doctor, "can you get us out of here?"  
  
The time traveler jerked around as if he were under attack. "Get out," inquired, "certainly not! We're staying right here."  
  
"Excuse me," came a voice from across the room, "but why."  
  
The time lord looked over his companions. First at the girl and then at the boy. They both had an odd expression on their face proclaiming both calmness and panic. In turn, the Doctor's face melted into an expression of compassion. "First of all," he began as a smile penetrated his lips, "there is that."  
  
The traveler extended his hand toward the laser barrier and the room beyond. Outside of the cell on the far side of the room a Dalek sat watching the prisoners. It had escorted the trio to the cell but since then it had remained so still and it had gone practically unnoticed.  
  
"The second reason," the Doctor continued," is that the other Dalek is probably on the bridge where we want to go so we will just have to wait until we have a better opportunity."  
  
Dave breathed a heavy sigh of annoyance as he reached into his pocket and produced a small mirror. "Boy do I look terrible," he told himself as he gazed into the looking glass. This was not a totally inaccurate statement either. The young lad's reflection cast the appearance of a street urchin. His hair flew wildly into the air winding this way and that around his head. His eyes were watery and glazed over as if he were among the living impaired. This claim was further substantiated by a host of bags that resided underneath each eye.  
  
"Where did you get that," queried the time lord when he had noticed the mirror.  
  
"You mean this," answered the boy holding up the mirror, "It's been in my pocket all day."  
  
The Doctor reached up swiped the reflective device from the young boy's hand. "Come on," he ordered shooting a glance a Maria who was still sitting against the wall, "we're getting out of here."  
  
The girl pushed herself onto her feet and sauntered across the cell. "I thought you said we were staying here," she asked.  
  
"I did," came the response, "now we're going."  
  
"But what about him," Dave asked pointing toward the mechanical guard.  
  
The Doctor shoved the mirror into the laser beam diverting it across the main room where it began to burn a hole into the wall.  
  
The Dalek, which had been stationary, the whole time, immediately sprang into action. "Halt," it cried as it prepared to fire its weapon.  
  
The time lord quickly twisted the mirror diverting the beam once again. The laser barrier shot through the air finally landing on the malevolent machine. The Dalek flew backward with great force into the wall where sparks began to bolt out from its joints.  
  
Seeing an opportunity the Doctor ordered Maria to climb through the hole he had created with the mirror. Without hesitation the girl sprung to the ground and made her way safely out of the cell. When she finally returned to her feet on the other side she turned off the beam allowing her friends to be free.  
  
The trio raced into the corridor looking for a place to hide. "There," yelled the boy excitedly as he pointed toward an air vent.  
  
"Not this time," the Doctor answered hastily, "this way." The time lord extended his index finger to the right and began to walk quickly in that direction with Dave and Maria tagging along.  
  
"Doctor," Maria asked scampering along behind, "where are we going?"  
  
"To the bridge."  
  
"THE BRIDGE," repeated the young boy in horror. He quickly leapt in front of the time lord and began to walk backwards. "Are you nuts," continued the lad, "What about the Dalek up there?"  
  
"Besides," added the girl, "we don't have anything powerful enough to kill this one"  
  
"KILL," boomed the Doctor coming to a sudden halt. He turned to the side and fixed his eyes on his female companion's. "We don't have anything available that can kill them."  
  
"What about the one in the brig," Maria rebutted.  
  
The traveler smiled as he turned and began to walk forward again. "It's not dead," he said, "only stunned."  
  
"So why are we going to the bridge then," Dave asked continuing to walk backwards in front his cohorts, "we can't kill the Dalek and if we don't it'll just change the heading back."  
  
Once again the time lord came to a sudden halt. "That's why we're going to the engine room instead," he explained turning on his heel and proceeded in the opposite direction.  
  
The three conspirators continued on through the ship's corridors at a quick pace toward the engine room. They hoped to reach their destination before their enemies conceived a plan to recapture them. In this venture they did no succeed. Just the party changed directions the corridor lights above them began to dim. They blinked on and off as if a child was playing with the switch.  
  
"What's going on," Dave asked anxiously.  
  
Maria considered the phenomena for a moment. She stared at each light as they passed underneath. Each flickered with an eire glow. "It looks like some sort of a power drain," she said after a moment, "but I've never seen anything like this. What do you think, Doctor"  
  
"They're turning off the power," answered the time lord speeding up the pace, "without the life support system were dead in thirty minutes."  
  
"Can we make it," the boy asked growing more nervous by the second.  
  
"We're going to try answered the Doctor.  
  
At that moment the power failed completely. Once again the trio was trapped in pitch darkness. Just as before the Doctor pulled out a match to light the path.  
  
After many twists and turns and several matches the three travelers found their way to a large door. In large letters on the doors face was written: Engine Room Authorized Personnel only.  
  
The time lord smiled at his companions as he pulled a pocket watch from his trouser pocket. "Very good," he said to himself. With that he turned and nearly walked straight into the door. "Of course," he laughed, "they wouldn't open with the power off would they?"  
  
Dave began to feel more and more uneasy. He wasn't sure how much time was left but he was sure it wasn't enough. "What are we going to do now," he asked when he had gathered up enough strength.  
  
The female wasn't in much better shape. Although she stood by looking very calm fear had begun to intrude the depths of her soul. In hopes of diverting her mind from what was almost certain doom she stepped sideways to her friend. She stood silently staring at his silhouette wanting to offer a word of hope or friendship. None came to mind.  
  
Just then the time traveler noticed a small panel to the side of the door. Inside a great many wires criss-crossed each other allowing access to many small unimportant systems.  
  
"What are you doing," the young male choked.  
  
The Doctor thrust his left hand underneath the wires and began to feel around. "I have no idea," he responded, "I'll know when I find it." Almost at that exact moment his hand happened upon a small round parturition at the back of the panel. "Ah ha," he gasped in excitement, "a button." Without reservation he quickly pushed the switch.  
  
To the side the engine room doors slid apart creating an unusually small entryway into the room. The trio hurriedly slid into the room one by one and began to look for the controls that would turn the ship.  
  
The room was by far the largest on the ship. A control panel extended nearly from on end of the room to the other. It was cut off only by a small door, which gave access to the ships engines. These could be seen clearly through a glass window that sat above the control panel and ran the same distance.  
  
"What are we going to do when we find these controls," Dave asked as they began their search, "The power is still off."  
  
The time lord pointed to a small cabinet in the far left-hand corner of the room, "There should be some weapons in that cabinet, bring them here."  
  
"We can't," remarked the girl, "it takes a security access code and that's when the powers on."  
  
The Doctor moved around the control panel with great speed. "Here, try this," he said pulling the sonic screwdriver out his pocket. Without taking his eyes off of the controls he blindly tossed the device to Maria.  
  
The young lady rushed across the room to the cabinet where she used the screwdriver on anything that looked like it would release the lock. After a moment there was a loud clang from inside the cabinet. The screwdriver had hit the main locking mechanism causing the door to swing open. The girl jumped with fright at the sudden sound.  
  
Her heart, which was already pounding, sped up. It felt as if it were going to explode. She stood there for a moment listening to the sound. She could feel it pulsate through her chest as if it were alive and attempting to free its self from its prison.  
  
Maria cautiously opened the cabinet doors and peered inside. Eight sleek lasers sat silently in two straight rows of four as if they were military soldiers awaiting a command. The girl swept up all eight weapons and returned with them to the Doctor. "Here they are," she announced as she laid the guns down.  
  
The time lord delved into the pile and extracted a laser. "Thank you," he said ducking underneath the control panel. There he proceeded to cross wire a great many systems and attach them all to the energy weapon that Maria had retrieved. "Come down here boy," he ordered when he had finished.  
  
Dave slowly squatted down next to the Doctor. It was clear that the present situation was slowly taking its toll on the boy. His face was flush white and he had begun to sweat profusely. "What do you need," he muttered.  
  
The traveler pushed the laser weapon into his companion's hand. "Hold down the trigger," he ordered. The lad obeyed and squeezed the trigger. At that moment the control panel lit up as if were a Christmas tree.  
  
The time lord popped up to see the effect. "Excellent," he said commending himself. "Now, if I can activate the maneuvering thrusters and push us just off course."  
  
Maria was stunned. "That's amazing," she said bending over to check the circuits. By the light of the control panel now saw her confidante clearly for the first time in ages. "Are you all right," she asked. Dave shook his head indicating the negative. He then pointed his finger upwards requesting the girl to assist the Doctor.  
  
Just then the lights jumped back on and the entire control panel lit up fully. The time lord quickly swung around and pushed Dave backwards. At the same time panel that had been tampered with exploded in a flash of fire and light blowing the Doctor and Maria to the ground. A moment later the main engines powered up.  
  
"Is everyone alright," quarried the time traveler turning to examine the damaged control panel  
  
"We're fine," responded the girl as she and her cohort rose their feet.  
  
The controls were smoldering from the explosion. The top of the panel had been completely blown off exposing the wires underneath. A small flame still burned within the rubble.  
  
"FLAPDOODLE," yelled the time lord, "we overloaded it. There's no repairing this."  
  
Dave stepped forward to examine the damage for himself. As he looked over the gaping hole in the control panel the boy's fear increased by ten. "What do we do now," he asked almost hysterically.  
  
The Doctor scanned the room quickly hoping to encounter a plan B. It didn't take long. Along the control panel was the pile of weapons that Maria had uncovered. He hastily examined each weapon to see if they worked. When he was satisfied the traveler handed two each to his companions.  
  
"What are we going to do," the girl asked analyzing the weapon.  
  
"We're going to blow it up."  
  
"ARE YOU CRAZY," the young boy jumped in. He had been inching ever closer to panic since the power went down.  
  
"No more than usual." With that the time lord bounded into the rooms anti chamber. Out of fright the other two followed close behind.  
  
They now stood in front of the ship's massive engines. Two large tubes from either of the room connected the main engine drive to the rest of the ship.  
  
The time traveler looked carefully over the weapon in his hand. There was a small switch on the side covered by a transparent piece of plastic.  
  
"You're not going to do what I think you're going to do are you?" Maria asked stepping in front of the Doctor.  
  
"That depends what you think I am going to do," came the answer. Before the girl could explain what she thought the time lord thrust his weapon under her nose. "Look at this," he explained pointing out the enclosed switch. "This is an overload switch for emergencies. And I would say that this qualifies as an emergency."  
  
Dave, who had begun to feel better since the air was restored, looked back and forth between the weapon and the man holding it. "What are you going to do," he inquired suspiciously.  
  
"I'm going to blow up the ship."  
  
"WITH US IN IT," shouted the boy hysterically.  
  
The traveler snickered heartily to himself. "I certainly hope not. But we seem to be running out of options." With that he pulled open the transparent covering, flipped the switch, and hurled the weapon to the far end of the engine. "Come on," he yelled at his companions, "we don't have much time left."  
  
The two youngsters reservedly followed the Doctor's commands and tossed their overloading weapons onto the engine.  
  
"Now what," Maria asked as they scurried out of the engine room and into the hall, "please say that you have another plan."  
  
By now the time lord had begun to trot down the ships corridor. "Yes I do have another plan, get to the TARDIS in thirty seconds or die trying!"  
  
With that both Dave and Maria sprinted past the Doctor and proceeded as fast as possible to the cargo bay. They rounded corner after corner until they came to the hall just out side of the cargo bay where they stopped short.  
  
The sound of a Dalek could be heard around the corner. Peering around the bend they could see the evil machine moving back and forth guarding the door. Their hearts pounded with fear and excitement. Time was running out and the enemy was preventing their escape.  
  
Just then the Doctor came flying around the bend and came to a screeching halt. He heard the hum as well. "No time to waste," he whispered, "or we're dead one way or another. Taking off his jacket he leapt around the corner just as the menacing guard had turned its back. The time lord threw the coat over the Dalek obstructing its vision.  
  
Seeing this the youngsters made no hesitation in running into the cargo bay. Immediately after, the Doctor pulled his coat off of his enemy and disappeared through the closing doors.  
  
They raced through the maze of crates once again and straight in the police box. Once there the Doctor immediately began to work the ship's controls and with a loud screech the TARDIS dematerialized.  
  
Maria looked around the control room in wonderment. "Where are we," she asked.  
  
The ship's captain twisted a knob revealing a view screen in the corner of the room. A ship floated silently through space for a moment. It then exploded in a huge ball of fire. Then, there was silence.  
  
"Well, that's one crisis averted," the traveler said rubbing his hands together.  
  
"I have a question," Dave said as he looked over the TARDIS' controls, "What was in that other box?"  
  
The Doctor's ears perked up as if he had just had an epiphany. "I don't know," he said, "I hope it wasn't a class four inversion circuit."  
  
THE END 


End file.
